The European Fantastic Film Festivals Federation
“The European Fantastic Film Festivals Federation (the Federation) is a tightly knit network of 22 film festivals from 15 countries, with a global attendance of over 450 000 visitors, making it a vital economic and cultural player on the fantastic film scene.
Its mission is to promote European fantastic film productions throughout Europe and the world, by enhancing their visibitily and their standing both among the public and within the industry, and encouraging their circulation. The Federation works to fulfill this mission through its festival network in Europe, its supporting members in Asia and North America, and its Méliès awards for outstanding European genre films.
The festivals are major platforms for genre films in their respective regions. They all work closely within the Federation network, but embody diversity and individual artistic identity, through their distinct programming choices, including the Méliès competition selections. They feature both press and audience screenings and offer a full range of side events that include master classes, conferences and industry pitchings, bringing together a wide spectrum of viewers, iconic and emerging talent, and other industry professionals to share experiences and knowledge.
The Méliès d’Or and Méliès d’Argent awards are given each year to the best European fantastic feature and short films. The awards recognize quality and creativity, and generate unique visibility for the film and their directors. The winners are showcased by all of the Federation’s festivals, including its supporting members abroad in Canada, the United States and South Korea, thereby encouraging their circlation worldwide.
Learn more about the Méliès cycle http://www.melies.org/mlis-competition
The Federation annually awards a Méliès d’Or Prize for the best European fantastic feature film and short film. An award which is renowned in Europe and abroad, the Méliès generates visibility for films, its producers and directors. It’s an award that stands for quality, creativity, and imagination.
The Méliès Awards, named after Georges Méliès, the great French pioneer of fantastic films and special effects, were created in 1995. The Méliès feature film cycle lasts about one year and is open to festivals with affiliated membership (one per country). Each festival holds a competition for recently produced European genre films and its jury awards the winner a Méliès d’Argent. The Argent winner from each festival then go on to compete for the Méliès d’Or; the competition and awards ceremony are currently held at the last festival on the cycle calendar.
The Méliès cycle for short films works in the same way, except that it is optional and open to both affiliated and adherent members. Currently nearly all of the festivals hold the short film competition.
The first Méliès d’Or ceremony was held by the Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival in 1996 and the prize was given to Alex de la Iglesia for The Day of the Beast (El Día de la Bestia). Other winners since that landmark date have included Michael Winterbottom for Code 46 in 2004, Thomas Alfredson for Let the Right One In (Låt den Rätte Komma In), in 2008, Rodrigo Cortes for Buried in 2011 and Kristina Buozyte for Vanishing Waves (Aurora) in 2012.
The 17th Méliès d’Or Ceremony will take place at Sitges Festival Internacional de Cinema de Catalunya, (Spain) on October 13th, 2013.”
European Fantastic Film Festivals Federation : Rue de la Comtesse de Flandre 8, B-1020 Brussels, Belgium
